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Glass & Minerals

Glass & Minerals

The following sections outline the different process steps of glass-, frits-, glass wool- and rock wool production as well as cement production and describe their associated gas applications. In addition to the gases required for the process, Messer will inform you in which way you can be supported with modernization, conversion or optimization assisted by years of experience and continuous further development of our experts.

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Cement

The main raw materials for cement manufacture are limestone and lime marl. Grinded cement is a hydraulic binder, and with the addition of water hardens in air. In the form of mortar and concrete it is an indispensable material in the construction industry. Cement is primarily produced using a dry process with rotary kilns and multistage cyclone pre-heaters with or without pre-calciners. Production is energy-intensive and costly. Depending on the quality, temperatures of up to 1450°C have to be reached in the rotary kiln. To optimise energy costs, low caloric secondary fuels are becoming increasingly important.

Frit & color pigment

In the frit- and mineral colour pigment production, the raw materials of the batch are generally stored in silos. Based on the recipe the components are charged into a mixer in a pre-defined order to eliminate separation. The mixed batch is then transported to the batch charger – usually of screw type – and fed, in a certain amount for each charge, to a smelting aggregate, which may be a hearth furnace or a rotary furnace . In case of colour pigments, the smelting aggregate is generally a rotary furnace. The batch is melted in a melting area what can be air-fuel or oxy-fuel fired. After a pre-defined melting time, the material is withdrawn from the furnace through a heated throat (in case of a hearth furnace) or poured out from the drum of the rotary furnace and quenched with water on a chute or a conveyor . The powdery product is collected in big bags or – after performing a drying measure out into a paper bag.

Glass

The definition of glass according to the American Heritage Dictionary is:

Any of a large class of materials with highly variable mechanical and optical properties that solidify from the molten state without crystallization, are typically made by silicates fusing with boric oxide, aluminium oxide, or phosphorus pentoxide, are generally hard, brittle, and transparent or translucent, and are considered to be supercooled liquids rather than true solids.
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Glass Wool

Mineral wool, also known as mineral fiber, mineral cotton, man-made mineral fibre (MMMF), and man-made vitreous fiber (MMVF), is a general name for fiber materials that are formed by spinning or drawing molten minerals (or "synthetic minerals" such as slag and ceramics). The nomenclature of these wool products is simply the parent/raw material name in prefix to wool. Wool from glass is glass wool, wool from rock is stone wool and so on. Specific mineral wool products are stone wool and slag wool. Europe also includes glass wool which, together with ceramic fiber, are completely man-made fibers. Applications of mineral wool include thermal insulation, filtration, soundproofing, and hydroponic growth medium.

Stone wool

Mineral wool, also known as mineral fiber, mineral cotton, man-made mineral fibre (MMMF), and man-made vitreous fiber (MMVF), is a general name for fiber materials that are formed by spinning or drawing molten minerals (or "synthetic minerals" such as slag and ceramics). The nomenclature of these wool products is simply the parent/raw material name in prefix to wool. Wool from glass is glass wool, wool from rock is stone wool and so on. Specific mineral wool products are stone wool and slag wool. Europe also includes glass wool which, together with ceramic fiber, are completely man-made fibers. Applications of mineral wool include thermal insulation, filtration, soundproofing, and hydroponic growth medium.

Heat Treatment - Glass & Minerals

The term heat treatment describes a process in which a work piece or part of a work piece is intentionally subjected to a specific time-temperature sequence. In some instances, the work piece may additionally be subjected to other physical and/or chemical influences. The aim of heat treatment is to impart properties to a work piece which are required for further processing steps or for the intended application.

This definition covers all thermal, thermo-chemical and thermo-mechanical processes for the treatment of work pieces with which mechanical material properties are to be selectively changed. Furthermore, the appearance of the surface of work pieces can be influenced. These properties are optimized by structural transformations on the surface or in the entire work piece and by chemical changes on the surface.